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Healthcare Management vocabulary · Hospital Operations

Ward

Meaning in healthcare management, with examples

/wɔːrd/nounCore term

In healthcare management, ward means: A section of a hospital with beds where inpatients with similar needs are cared for, such as a surgical ward or a children's ward.

In Turkish: servis, klinik, yataklı servis

How it is used

Used everywhere in British and international hospitals; Americans more often say 'unit' or 'floor'. Each ward has a ward manager or charge nurse. Managers talk about opening, closing or merging wards and moving patients between them.

Example sentences

  1. We had to open an extra ward in January to cope with winter pressures.

  2. The ward manager says two beds will be free after lunch.

Common collocations

  • surgical ward
  • ward manager
  • open a ward
  • ward round
  • medical ward
  • inpatientA patient who is admitted to hospital and stays at least one night in a bed for treatment, tests or observation.
  • bed managementThe daily work of tracking which beds are free, which patients need them and where each patient should go, so that beds are used well.
  • staffingThe number and type of staff working in a hospital, ward or shift, and the work of making sure there are enough of them with the right skills.
  • capacityThe amount of care a hospital or service can provide with its beds, staff, rooms and equipment in a given time.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Hospital Operations

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.